Food Spotlight: Gioia’s Bucatini Cacio E Pepe

At Gioia {1133 W Randolph St, Chicago; 773.672.8955} in the West Loop, Chef Federico is cooking up delicious Italian delights. His Cacio e Pepe is one of our favorites and lucky for you, we got him to share his technique and thoughts on the classic dish. “Many times we look at recipes that have just a few ingredients and think they look easy, but in reality, they are not. Bucatini Cacio e Pepe is one of them. At Gioia, we use a great quality of pasta Mancini, then combine the two freshly grated cheeses as well as the two types of pepper. For best results and flavors, we only use freshly grated and grounded ingredients in our Bucatini Cacio e Pepe.”

Bucatinin Cacio E Pepe

• 17.6oz Pasta Bucatini Mancini

• 1 cup Cacio Romano; freshly grated

• 1/2 cup Pecorino Crotonese; freshly grated

• 1 Tbsp black pepper; freshly ground

• 2 Tsp java pepper, freshly ground

• Sea salt to taste

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package. When al dente, drain from the water, keeping some water for later use. Off the flame, place the pasta in a sauté pan, adding splashes of pasta water along with both cheeses and peppers. Stir constantly with kitchen tongs and intermittently sauté over medium heat until the sauce has reached a creamy consistency, firm, without thickening too much. Serve immediately and enjoy!